A Garvey Christmas
by theplaywrite
Summary: Jonathan and Andrew Garvey were still feeling the loss of Alice. Now that Christmas is just around the corner, Alice's mother invites her family to spend the holiday with her. How will Christmas for the father and son play out without Alice? And what will a new face mean to Andrew? HAPPY HOLIDAYS!


The white snow had piled up high on the hard ground over the past few, cold months. It was that special time of year when everybody loved the bitter cold and unforgiving snow. All the people in this little town were keeping warm by running around, trying to make the world perfect for the up-coming holiday. The mercantile stocked its shelves with future presents at reasonable prices. The restaurant hung holly and garnish around the windows, ledges and stairs. A wreath hung over the doorway of the school house. The only thing that was missing was the sound of children happily laughing, while playing in the freshly fallen snow. But it would not be long until that problem was solved.

Miss. Eliza Jane Wilder, the town's school teacher, dismissed her students on time, letting them run freely in the winter air. The young boys immediately started throwing snow at one another, while some girls dodged the flying snow. Miss. Wilder and her teaching assistant, and future sister-in-law, Laura Ingalls walked down the steps, discussing plans for the holidays.

"Laura, would you and your family like to have an early Christmas Eve dinner over at my house?" Eliza Jane asked her former student.

Laura smiled, mostly because that meant she could be with her fiancé, Almanzo Wilder, on Christmas Eve. "I'm sure they would love that. I'll ask them tonight at dinner."

"Wonderful!"

"Have a good holiday Miss. Wilder and Miss. Ingalls!" The two women thanked the group of children waving to them and continued down the steps.

"Hopefully I get good presents this year. All I got last year for Christmas was a bunch of clothes." Willie Olsen was talking to two of his friends from school, who rolled their eyes at him over his last statement. Willie was the son of the mercantile's owners, who were one of the richer families in town. The boy was not spoiled, but still had more commodities than some of the other children in town.

"Don't be complaining Willie. You and Nellie probably get more presents each year than the rest of us kids get combined." Albert Ingalls responded. As a former orphan, who lived on the streets, Albert knew what it was like to own only the shirt on your back. He now knows to take any present and treat it like it is your first and last one.

"The best part is that my pa and Percival, even though he's Jewish, are teaming up to make Christmas dinner, so it should be really good." Willie said, not even realizing that he still was bragging to the boys with him.

"What are you and your pa doing for Christmas, Andy?" Albert asked his best friend, Andrew Garvey, wanting to take some attention away from Willie.

"I'm not sure. Probably doing the same thing we do every night." Andrew answered, while looking at the snowy ground. This Christmas would be the first Christmas since Andy's mother, Alice Garvey, had past away in the blind school fire. Things were hard for Andy and his pa, Jonathan Garvey, but they found ways to make ends meet. But even so, Andy knew that the holidays would be even harder without his mother.

Albert and Andy continued their own walk home, while Willie went to find his father. It was a quite walk the boys had taken countless times before. Albert tried to spark up a conversation about how weird it was having Laura, his adopted sister, as a teacher. He could still remember when she would sometimes ask him for help on her homework, and now she was assigning papers to him. But Andrew stayed quite, which was not like him. Albert wonder what was getting to his best friend. They came up to the spot in the road where Albert and Andrew would have to continue in different directions to get to their own homes.

"So, I guess I'll see you when school starts up again or maybe we can hang out during Christmas break?" Albert asked.

Andrew looked up at his friend. "Maybe. I have to help my pa out with a few things over the break. If we both have time, we should hang out." Andy forced a smiled. Albert nodded in return to his answer and turned to walk home. The boys trudged in the snow, going their own separate ways.

Andrew opened the door to his house, feeling much better when he was hit by the warmth coming from the fireplace. Him and his pa kept their house clean, just the way Alice did. After she died, Andrew took on most of the house work. He would scrub the house, wash the clothes, get supplies, manage the barn, tend to the animals and make sure his pa had all of his jobs in order. He also had to do something no boy his age would even think of doing, cooking. Andy made breakfast and lunch for him and his pa, while Jonathan made dinner every night he was not out making a delivery. Andrew took on more responsibilities, had to give up things he used to do before the tragedy and, both mentally and physically, grew up.

The blue-eyed boy looked around the house, searching for his pa. He noticed that his home was not decorated like it was last year for the holidays, but there were more important things to worry about. Andrew looked in the kitchen and then in his pa's bedroom, but Jonathan was no where to be found. It is interesting to think, when his parents almost got a divorce some years ago, Andrew wanted to live with his pa. Now, that had happening.

Andrew set his school supplies down and went over to the small kitchen. Knowing it was getting late, he started rummaging around for ingredients to be used in the father and son's dinner. Grilled chicken with potatoes and rolls were the chosen food. Andrew had the food almost prepared and was setting the table when the front door opened. He looked at the big man who walked through the door.

"Sorry Andy. Some equipment at the mill broke down. I had to run over and fix it before the whole thing fell apart." Jonathan said to his son, while taking off his hat and jacket.

"Alright. Dinner should be ready in a few minutes." Andrew replied quietly.

"Hey Andy, before I forget. For Christmas this year, we're going to head over to your grandma's." Jonathan smiled. He walked over to the table and stood by his son.

Andrew looked up. It had been awhile since Andrew has seen his grandmother and it would be nice to be with family during the holiday. But the boy still felt down. "That'll be nice." Andrew noticed his pa could see that he was not all that excited, so he forced yet another smile. "When are we leaving?"

Jonathan put a hand on his son's shoulder. "I just have to finish some work at the mill, then we could head out as early as tomorrow afternoon."

Andrew nodded, then he smelt a burning sent coming from the kitchen. Jonathan looked up and saw smoke coming from the oven. The two rushed into the kitchen. Andrew quickly opened the oven to pulled out blackened rolls. Jonathan opened the kitchen door and tried to wave out the smoke. Then, the man heard something he had not heard in months. He looked inside and saw Andrew bent over laughing. The boy was laughing so hard, his eyes started to water and he was holding his stomach.

"Pa, I'm-I'm not cooking for the rest of the year!" Andy tried to say. Jonathan walked back over to help his son finish the preparations for dinner, grinning for the rest of the night.

The next morning was just as cold as the last one, if not more. Dark clouds began to cover the sky and a freezing wind began to blow from the west. Jonathan and Andrew got up earlier than normal to pack for their holiday trip up to Alice's mother's home. They planned to stay there for at least a week and knew it was a much needed vacation for the both of them. Jonathan went into town, finished the last of his work and was headed to the mercantile to pick up some supplies.

Jonathan walked into the town mercantile and saw two old good friends. "Morning Nels. Good morning Caroline."

"Good morning Jonathan." Caroline Ingalls said with a smile. She was always found in the mercantile early in the morning to sell her eggs. "Charles told me the other night that you and Andrew were going to Alice's mother's for the holidays."

Jonathan nodded. "Well, he told you right. Andy and I are heading out this afternoon."

Nels Olsen walked up to his customers, carrying some boxes of candy to be set up on the counter. "Jonathan, you can't be planning to head out in this cold?"

"I'm afraid so. I just hope it doesn't start snowing on us."

"Nels! Nels!"

Nels rolled his eyes and sighed when he heard his wife coming into the store. Harriet Olsen could get on anyone's nerves just by talking to them. But when she was upset about something, everyone was sucked into it. He often wondered why he put up with her and her children, only to remember that she was his loving wife and Willie and Nellie Olsen were his problems too. Harriet walked into the shop with a face of pure anger.

"What is it Harriet?" Nels asked, knowing he would regret asking when his wife started ranting.

"Well, what do you think? It's Percival again! Just his presence is ruining the holiday. He's been asking questions and criticizing everything I do to prepare for Christmas. I do not know why I am even putting up with him." Harriet replied, her face turning red.

"Because, like it or not, he's family now, so you're just going to have to deal with it!" Nels yelled at his wife.

Harriet gave her husband a stern look, turned around and walked away, almost stomping her feet on the wooden floors of the store.

"The most wonderful time of the year." Nels mumbled quietly, but still was loud enough for Caroline and Jonathan to hear.

"I'm guessing Harriet still has reservations about Nellie marrying Percival so suddenly." Caroline commented. "Well, I won't blame her. Marriage can be difficult for the whole family."

Jonathan grinned. "I think a lot of people can agree with you on that. Especially if you marry young and fast, like Nellie did. No offense Nels."

"Well, at least I like Percival. Now if Nellie tried to marry someone both her mother and I did not approve of, then there would be problems. Like Luke." Nels shook his head, starting to sort the candy into their respected containers.

"It's safe to say that almost every parent is scared of their children getting married. I can't tell you how many times Charles came to me, trying to talk himself out of letting Laura be engaged to Almanzo." Jonathan admitted.

Caroline nodded her head, knowing her husband too well. "To tell you the truth, when I am by myself and I start to think about Laura marrying Almanzo in a few months, something negative always comes over me. But, she loves him and he says he loves her. Let's just hope that our sons have easier marriages then our love-sick daughters."

"Amen." Nels said.

Jonathan walked back to his home, where his son was waiting for him to get back with the supplies. On his walk back, all the man could think about was the bitter cold that would get colder, and what Nels and Caroline said about children getting married. This turned his attention to something he never thought about before, Andrew finding a girl and getting married. Alice brought it up once or twice, but it never lead to anything serious. As far as Jonathan knew, Andrew never really had any relations with a girl and was not at all ready to settle down. His son was still young and in school. That dilemma would just have to wait.

Jonathan opened the door. "Alright Andy. Say goodbye to the warmth and hello to the bitter cold for the next few hours."

"Coming." Andrew walked out of his room, with his bag in hand. "Is it really that cold?"

"It's getting to be with the wind picking up. Just think about that nice warm, not burnt meal waiting for us." Jonathan reminded Andrew of last night while getting his own bag.

The father and son walked out to the wagon and climbed on. Jonathan took the reins and started the horses away from the house. It was a silent ride at first. Both Jonathan and Andrew felt the harsh wind beating on their backs. The sky was covered with white clouds, with some darker ones in sight. At least the road was not covered in snow. Jonathan wanted to break the silence with his son to get his opinion on something discussed earlier that day.

"Alright Andy. I need to ask you something, and I want the truth." Jonathan said, noticing his breath in the frigid air in front of him. He glanced over at Andy. The look on his face was priceless. He looked like someone just yelled his darkest secret out loud enough so that the whole country could hear. "Well, while I was at the mercantile, Mrs. Ingalls was there and she said something about her being a bit concerned that Laura was marrying Almanzo. I just started to wonder what you thought about the whole thing. You have known Laura for a few years now."

"I do think that there is something wrong with it." Andrew admitted. "I mean, for the past year, Laura has been fawning over Almanzo when all he saw her as was a little girl. Now, all of a sudden, Almanzo, a grown man, has feelings for Laura, who still could be considered a kid even though she acts all grown up. Those two went from neighbors to being engaged in less than a few months. If they were closer in age I might understand more, but I just don't get what guy is up to."

"You do make a good point Andy. Why did Almanzo Wilder suddenly go from barely noticing Laura, to desperately having to be married to her in such a sort time?" Jonathan asked.

"I do have some ideas about that, but I don't think it's my place to say them." Andrew shoved his hands under his jacket. Then, he started smiling. Jonathan noticed and got curious.

"What is it?"

"I just remembered something Albert said about Laura and Almanzo. He said that Laura held the world record for the longest, unrealistic crush. She was able to sabotage every other girl Almanzo could have been with. I don't want to say she stalked him and went out of her way to make sure she was the only girl Almanzo could even see, but that's what she did."

Jonathan tried to hold in his laugh. "Well, she's persistent. I'll give her that."

Andrew rolled his eyes. "I mean, come on. If I had an unrealistic crush on a woman at least five years older than me that I recently met, everyone, including Laura, would think there was something wrong with me."

Jonathan could not even picture Andrew coming home one day and saying he wanted to marry a woman years older than him. Charles and Caroline had all the right reasons to be concerned for Laura.

"Well, wasn't Mary Ingalls engaged to some boy when she was only thirteen and then she married Adam when she was sixteen?" Jonathan added.

"I don't really know about her first engagement, but Adam isn't that much older than her. And no offense to Laura, but Mary did become more mature when she was younger. Plus she's blind." Andrew commented. He tilted his head down again.

The dark clouds encroached in the sky. The wind howled between the trees. Even though it was the middle of the afternoon, it was getting hard to see. Jonathan picked up speed to get to his mother-in-law's house before him and his son were caught out in the unforgiving cold. He started to see the buildings of a small city, that was their destination. As soon as the wagon began riding down the streets, snow started falling from the sky. Jonathan pulled up to a large house just in time.

They grabbed their bags and quickly walked up to the front door. Before they could even knock, the door opened to an elderly women with a great smile on her face. "Hurry inside! I can't have you two standing out in the snow."

"It's good to see you, again." Jonathan hugged his mother-in-law.

"I'm so happy you could come. My goodness, Andrew. Look at you. What happened to that little boy I used to know?" The woman hugged her grandson, who had a real smile on his face. Everyone in the room was so happy to see the each other.

The three of them made their way into the living room to warm up by the fire. Coffee and cookies were served as talk filled the room. Jonathan and Andrew took a seat on the couch, while Alice's mother sat in a single chair. There was a small Christmas tree in the corner of the room, decorated in silver ribbon and ornaments.

"So, how is school going Andy?" The older lady asked her young grandson.

"It's going fine." He kept his talk short.

"And Jonathan, I hope you were able to manage all the work on your farm and at the mill." She said, nodding to her son-in-law.

"Well, it hasn't been easy. It was sure nice of you to invite us up here. I think we really needed a break from all the stress." Jonathan replied.

"Oh, before I forget, I also invited my neighbor and her niece over for Christmas. You might remember them, Carroll and Sarah. They were traveling for two months and rented out their home. The renters won't be out for another few weeks, so I told them they could stay here." She told her family. "They should be arriving sometime tomorrow."

"You have to fill those empty rooms somehow." Jonathan laughed a little. His mother-in-law looked over at her grandson, who was sitting quietly on the couch. Andrew seemed rather distant and tired.

"Well, it is getting late and I'm sure you two need your rest. I'll show you to your room."

The three of them stood up and began walking up the staircase. They walked down to the end of a long hallway. She showed the two men the room they were going to be staying in. She left them to unpack and to get a good night's sleep. There were two separate beds, two dressers, one small closet, a bedside table and a large window. The room was nicely decorated with wallpaper and different fixtures. Jonathan and Andrew started to unpack their belongings before heading to bed. Andrew slipped into the bed closest to the window after he was done. He shoved his hands under the pillow, still feeling the cold from the ride up. The young boy slowly closed his eyes, listening to his pa making his way around the room.

The next morning, Andrew opened his eyes to the large window. A light snow fell on the window ledge and there was only a small glow of sunlight. He did not want to get out of the warm bed, but his throat was dry. The boy quietly slipped out of bed. He made sure his pa did not notice he was awake while he put on his clothes. Andrew made his way down stairs, not making a sound. He slyly found his way to the kitchen.

Andrew poured himself a glass of water. He walked over to the window in the kitchen and opened it very slightly. All he wanted to do was feel the chilled air to help him wake up.

"Andy?"

Andrew was startled. He turned quickly around to see his grandmother standing in the doorway.

"What are you doing up so early?" She asked.

He was slow to respond. "I just...needed some water." Andrew closed the window and walked over to his grandmother.

She smiled, trying to cheer the boy up. "Well, I will just start making you some breakfast then." She watched Andrew take a seat at the kitchen table. He seemed so quiet, so lost, so out of focus again.

She tried starting up a real conversation, but Andrew still seemed out of it. The loss of his mother must have it him harder than most people realized. He was such a happy child and was once so optimistic about the future. But, growing up in a fighting family and facing his mother's death really changed him. It was not long until Jonathan walked down and greeted his family. Alice's mother finished with the food and served it to her guests. They were all just about to start eating when there was a knock at the door. Alice's mother walked out of the kitchen to see who it was. The father and son were left in the room.

"I hope you got a good night's sleep last night, Andrew." Jonathan said to his young son.

"Yea. I was really tired." He responded.

The man looked at Andrew concerningly. "Are you sure you are feeling alright? You've seemed lost the past few days."

"I miss ma."

Just then, Alice's mother returned to the room with two new people following behind her.

"Jonathan, Andrew, this is Carroll, my neighbor, and her niece Sarah. You might remember my son-in-law and grandson." The older lady gestured to each of them. They all exchanged greetings. Andrew put on another fake smile, until he saw Sarah. The young lady had mesmerizing emerald green eyes and rich brown hair pulled back in a beautiful ponytail. Her clothing was simple, but the smile on her face was a beauty the boy had never seen before. He was awestruck at the girl, who was probably only a few years older than him.

"Hello." Sarah calmly said to Andrew. He was still lost for words, but now for a totally different reason.

"Hi."

"Carroll, Sarah, let me show you to your room so you can unpack." Alice's mother said. The two other women followed her out of the kitchen.

"They seem really nice. Wouldn't you say Andy?" Jonathan asked, taking a sip of coffee.

"Yea." His son answered, staring in the direction the young woman walk off.

Jonathan smirked. "That Sarah was pretty."

"Yea. She was beautiful and she looks around my age. I wonder where she traveled the past few months." Jonathan was surprised Andrew had so much to say about the young lady.

The afternoon came along and everyone met in the dinning room for a casual lunch. Alice's mother set out sandwiches and cold lemonade for the group. Conversation crossed the table about employment, housing and the prices in Mankato. The adults were doing most of the talking, while luckily Andrew was seated right across Sarah. He could not stop staring at her, while she would sometimes chime in on the conversation. Andrew truly started to smile when he saw Sarah smile. Then, she looked at him and he froze.

The way she locked her eyes on him made time stop. He could feel his face heating up. A sensation ran down his spine. His gut turned. He started at her eyes, cursing at himself for not looking away. Now, she knows he was starring her. He bit down hard on his bottom lip. What is the world was wrong with him?

"How long until you finish school and graduate, Andrew?" He heard someone say, pulling him away from his thoughts. He look over to see it was Carroll asking him.

"I'm not really sure. I guess one more year or two." He looked over to his pa for guidance.

Jonathan smiled. "I'm afraid so. But you have been adamant about finding a real job soon." That statement was true even before Alice died.

"I wish you could let me go out and do something more than just school." Sarah said in a soft voice to her aunt.

"Well how about this, you go can go to that shop on the corner at pick up that new dress. Remember, you wore out your old one." Her aunt Sarah stated.

"Andrew, would you like to go with me?" She asked, looking at the boy again.

He tried to act smooth as he answered her. "Sure. It will be nice to walk around town."

After lunch was cleaned, Sarah and Andrew walked the streets to the small city. There was fresh snow on the ground from the previous night and a small breeze. Christmas Eve was tomorrow and there was fancy people rushing around. Normally, Andrew would never accompany a girl to buy clothes, but he planned to wait outside and get a feel for the town. It was a silent walk down to the shop. Neither of them knew what to say to each other. Sarah walked up the steps of the store, noticing that Andrew was not following her.

"Andrew, I am not going to have you wait outside in the cold." Sarah tilted her head.

"I don't think I belong in a place like that." He joked.

She walked down the steps, grabbed Andrew's hand and led him into the shop. When they walked in, Andrew noticed all of the clothes, for both men and women. The were so extravagant compared to the clothes he had known all his life. Sarah walked over to the store manager, leaving Andrew to browse some more. A few minutes went by, when Sarah came back over to Andrew.

"The reason why I asked you to come was so I can get a man's opinion on the dress I was going to wear at the Christmas Eve party." Andrew's grandmother mentioned the Christmas Eve party when him and his father were talking to her last night. He was barely paying attention, so his pa must have said that him and Andrew would be attending.

Sarah walked back into a changing room. Then, she came out. Andrew looked the girl up and down. She was wearing a soft lavender dress with a few ruffles at the bottom, detail on the front and off-the-shoulder sleeves. The fabric hugged her hips and made her look a bit taller. She took her hair out of the ponytail and it flowed smoothly down her back. At least this time, she asked him to look at her.

"It looks really nice on you." That was what he said, but what he thought was 'You look angelic. That dress doesn't even match your beauty. Would you want run away with me? You out shine the other women like a dove in the middle of a flock of crows.'

No. He only knew Sarah for a few hours. He is just attracted to her, not in love with her. These feelings were all thanks to puberty.

"Remember when we were little. You used to visit your grandmother and we used to play in her yard and in the street." Sarah said, spinning the dress.

Andrew had no idea what she was talking about. When did they ever meet before yesterday? Yes, he used to visit his grandmother's when he was little before they moved, but he never used to play with a beautiful girl named Sarah. He used to play with the kids who lived on the street, which included...a little girl. Was Sarah the same little girl he used to play with?

"We used to play together? Honestly, I don't remember meeting you until this morning." Andrew responded.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't remember you at first either. I thought I would have remembered a handsome guy like you. Your grandmother said I was the one who gave you the nickname 'Andy'."

Then it came back to him.

Andrew smiled. "Did you used to wear your hair in curly pig tails?"

Sarah blushed and started playing with her finger nails. "I did."

Sarah changed back into her clothes and got her new dress boxed. Andrew, trying to be a gentlemen, offered to carry it. They began walking the streets and just started talking.

"I always wanted to live out in the territories, where the world is untouched and filled with challenges." She said.

"That's funny. You don't seem like a hard-working, dirt farmer to me." Andrew replied.

"Well, how can I prove you wrong?" They both laughed a bit

"Do you want take the long way back?" Andrew smirked at her.

Sarah smiled. The two took a right and started walking away from the house. The wind picked up. Andrew held the box in his left arm and got ambitious with his right. He shifted his walk to get a bit closer to Sarah. He swung his arm and smoothly put his hand on her back. She looked up at him and shifted her walk. Surprisingly, she moved towards him. Andrew wrapped the rest of his arm around her waist. If anybody they knew asked why, it got really cold on the walk home.

After a long walk back, Andrew and Sarah got back to Alice's mother's house. Everyone was quite. It was the calm before the Christmas storm. After a warm dinner, everyone staying in the house went upstairs to get ready for bed. Andrew walk into his and Jonathan's room to find his pa already there.

"Hey pa, are we going to that Christmas Eve party?" Andrew asked, taking a seat on his bed to take his shoes off.

"Of course we are. Remember your grandmother told us about it? It supposed to be really nice." Jonathan wondered a bit confused.

"I guess I wasn't paying attention. Can I ask you something else pa?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Do you remember Carroll and Sarah?"

"Somewhat. They've been your grandma's neighbors for years. I think you used to play with Sarah when you were little." Jonathan answered.

Andrew nodded. "I didn't remember her at first. She sure grew up."

"Where were you two all day?"

"Just walking. Night pa." Andrew pulled the covers over his head and turned his light out.

The sun rose on a beautiful Christmas Eve morning. There was a sense of happiness on the streets. The Christmas Eve party was one of the town's biggest and most special events of the year. All the women bought new dresses and pinned their hair up. The men wore their best suits for the women who would stand right besides him. The event space was a large, beautiful reception hall at the center of town. The floor and ceiling were gold, while the walls were draped with fabric. The event organizers brought in poinsettias and holly. Cooks were preparing delicate deserts and unboxed imported drinks.

Luckily, the wind and snow calmed down for the party. It was tradition for the small city to have an exciting Christmas Eve, followed by a relaxed Christmas. Even Jonathan and his son were excited for the party. It was rare for the Garvey's to attend an upper class event. It would be a nice change from the routine work days they had for the past few months. The whole day was set aside for the guests in Alice's mother's house to prepare for the event.

The party would start in a half hour and almost everyone was ready, except for a certain young man.

"Andy, stop playing with your hair. You look fine." Jonathan said to his son, who was engulfed in his own reflection.

Andrew shock his head and smiled. "I know."

"If I didn't know any better, I would say you were trying to impress someone." Jonathan said jokingly.

"Maybe." Andrew smirked.

"Well, hurry up. You don't want to be late."

"Yes sir."

Andrew and Jonathan walked down stairs to see only Alice's mother waiting for them.

"Where are the other two ladies?" Jonathan asked his mother-in-law.

"You know women. They just have to fix something. Carroll said not to wait up and they would meet us there." The grandmother answered.

Alice's mother, along with her son-in-law and grandson, headed out to the Christmas Eve party. They walked into the building, already filled with people talking and dancing. There was a small band playing soft music. Alice's mother introduced her family to some of her own friends who lived in town. Andrew had enough with the adults' boring conversations, so he stood alone at the wall. He looked around at the large amount of people. He missed Walnut Grove, where he could breath non-smoky air inside buildings. Andrew walked across the wall, staring at the crystal chandelier hanging over the dancers. Then, he stopped when a small bar stood in his way. The bartender noticed him and smiled. The older gentleman poured a drink and handed it to Andrew.

He never drank before. He mother would have kill him. Never the less, Andrew took the glass and downed the drink. It burned, but felt good. Hopefully, his pa would not be mad at him if he found out.

Andrew was just about to find his family, when someone caught his eye. Sarah walked in the room with her aunt. She looked even more stunning in the dress with her curled hair running down her back. Andrew made his way to the young woman.

"Sarah."

She smiled. "You look really nice, Andrew."

He heard a slow song begin to play. He reached out his hand and Sarah did not hesitate taking it. They walked to the dance floor. Andrew had never danced before, but that did not stop him from holding on to Sarah. The two moved across the floor, lost in themselves. Neither of them knew the time, but it was not before long, the event turned into an 'adult' party. Andrew and Sarah found Jonathan and Carroll to tell them they were heading home. They understood and the pair quickly made their way home in the chilly winter air.

The two walked into the living room, finding a seat on the couch. Sarah was laughing at something Andrew told him about Willie Olsen. Sarah looked up at Andrew, not noticing she was fawning at his blue-eyes. Andrew leaned in, smiling at her. He should not be doing this, but it felt good.

Andrew kissed Sarah. It was a simple kiss that only lasted a moment, but it was what Andrew did next that surprised Sarah. He leaned in again and kissed her deeply. They moved their heads to the side, closing their eyes. Andrew wrapped his arms around Sarah's waist, while she put a hand on the back of his neck. They really should not be doing this.

Andrew heard people outside, then he not only stopping kissing her, but moved away from her, off the couch. The front door opened.

"Well, I don't know about you all, but I'm heading to bed." Andrew's grandmother said, walking inside.

"We should all get to bed, even you kids." Carroll motioned to the two, hiding their blush and shock.

Sarah went straight up stairs with the two older women, leaving Jonathan and Andrew downstairs.

"Are you okay, Andrew?" Jonathan asked his son.

He looked up. "Yea. Just tired again. Are we just staying here tomorrow?"

"Yup. It's going to be a nice, quite Christmas. And even though we both promised not give each other gifts, I do have something for you tomorrow morning."

"Pa."

Jonathan walked upstairs before his son could complain. Andrew followed. The two men got ready for bed, staying silent. Jonathan watched Andrew's movement, trying to see if he could read his son. He was not blind to what was going on with his son. It was only a matter of time.

The following morning was not as calm as everyone liked it to be. A snow storm came through overnight. The air was brisk, the wind loud and the heavy falling snow made it almost impossible to see a few feet in front of you. Andrew did not have the morning sun to wake him up, so young man did not realize he was sleeping the day away. It was that sound of pots and pans being stacked together downstairs that woke him up. After finally opening his eyes, Andrew sat on his bed, staring at the falling snow. It was going to be a very white Christmas. He was slow putting his clothes on. For some reason, he was not just unhappy. He was almost depressed.

He stood at the side of the bed, feeling light-headed. His hands were shaking and he could not speak. Andrew did not even realize that tears were falling down his face. He did not want to breakdown crying, but that was exactly what he did. Andrew buried his head in the pillow, quietly whispering the only thing he wanted for Christmas.

"Ma. Ma. Mama."

Andrew could not stop. He wanted his mother to walk in the room and help him. Help him grow up, help him finish school, help find marry a girl, help him raise a family, help him to stop crying. Why did it have to be her? Why did she have to stay at the blind school? Why did that damn fire have to start? He wanted a drink, but that would only make him the worst part of his father. Andrew sat up, wiping his eyes, trying to put himself together before walking downstairs. He was not doing a very good job at it.

Never the less, Andrew walked down the same steps his mother did when she was his age. He walked into a harsh world.

"Well, look who's awake?" Sarah's smile took away a bit of that harshness.

"In my defense, there is no sunlight. What a merry Christmas." Andrew responded.

Everyone gathered around the fire in the living room. It was the warmest room compared to the rest of the house.

"So, we will start preparing dinner around three." Andrew's grandmother said to her guests. "And everyone has to help."

"How about the women cook and the men have to clean up." Carroll suggested.

"Aw. Don't you want to taste Andrew's amazing rolls? He has a way of making the outside really crispy." Jonathan laughed.

Andrew was struck with utter embarrassment when everyone let out a small laugh. "Pa."

Because of the snow, it was hard to find your way around town. The town's first two church sessions were small, so the minister decided to hold a continuous service for anyone who could make it through the snow. He would read from the Bible and led whoever managed to show up in song. Alice's mother still wanted all of them to make it to church. So, when the snowfall was at its lightest, they made their way out into the cold. The walk to the church seemed rather long and it was a great relief when they finally enter the house of God. The minister was reading a passage from the Bible as the group took their seats.

After about an hour at the service, it was about time for the next wave of people to come in and worship. Jonathan and Andrew waited outside for the women. Luckily, the wind died down.

"So pa, what did you get me for Christmas?" Andrew asked.

"You can't wait for later tonight?" His pa responded.

"Nope!"

"Well, answer me something first."

"What?"

"How much do you like Sarah?"

He stared at his father, not knowing Jonathan knew what was going on with him.

"Um...how did you...when you think about it, I just met her...again."

"And you have feelings for her." Jonathan cut in.

"What? Pa, you think..."

Jonathan nodded at his son. Andrew never had feelings for anyone before, so figuring that out would be as easy as reading a front page headline.

"What difference does it make? After this is all over, we'll go back to Walnut Grove and probably never see her again."

"Would it be interesting for you to know that the family renting Carroll's house have expressed interest in buying it. It would finally give them a chance to move out of the city. And guess which town she is thinking about moving to?" Jonathan smiled.

Andrew did not know what to say. Was Sarah really going to move to Walnut Grove? He could see her then. He could be with her. He could figure out if he actually had real feelings for her.

"Alright boys, lets head home before we freeze." Carroll said as the women met up with the father and son.

"As soon as we get home, I'm heating up the oven and never leaving the kitchen." Andrew's grandmother said, making everyone laugh.

Jump ahead to late that night, everyone was stuffed after eating an amazing dinner. The adults were sitting in the living room once again. Andrew volunteered to wash the dishes and clean up. Sarah came in to help him. The two were drying the last of the dishes, never losing their smiles.

"Actually, I'm taking a few business and writing classes, even though I finished the normal schooling almost two years ago." Sarah was explaining to Andrew how she finished school early, but her aunt wanted her to take more classes. She said it would be useful in the long run, but all Sarah wanted to do was go back to traveling.

"I don't think I could have anymore school after I graduate. I want to start working and start building up my own life." Andrew said. "There was this one time when I thought my parents would let me drop out of school and start working around town."

Sarah smiled. "How old were you?"

"Fourteen. It still surprises me how short and childish I was two years ago."

"Two years can make a big difference."

"Hopefully not in our case." Andrew whispered under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Andrew watched Sarah put the last of the dishes away. "Is it true that you might be moving to Walnut Grove?" He spoke quickly.

"Maybe." Where did he find that out?

"Maybe we could try something out when you get there?"

"What do you mean?"

"This."

Andrew grabbed her and kissed her lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist. Sarah almost moved away, but started to love the kiss. She wrapped her arms around Andrew's neck. They knew that at any moment someone could walk in, but they did not care. It was a Christmas love story that moved way too fast for the average person. Maybe there was something about the holidays that made them feel this way.

Would they have feelings for each other during the coldest winter, hottest summer or worst drought? When their days came routine again, would they still have the butterflies in their stomachs and fire in their hearts? Neither of them knew, and they both of them thought about it. But in this moment, none of that mattered. They wanted this moment, even if it did not last or if it did not matter in the long run. It would take years for them to realize it did matter.

Sarah backed away from the kiss, getting herself lost in Andrew's light blue eyes.

"Merry Christmas Sarah."

"Merry Christmas Andrew."


End file.
